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8.19.2013

Next month I have the privilege of doing a small East Coast book tour for Botanical Knits!

I will be visiting 3 awesome stores in 3 different states to do a book signing and teach a sweater finishing workshop. The workshop will guide you through some of my favorite sweater finishing techniques for a professional looking garment including invisible seaming, blocking, and weaving in yarn tails.

8.13.2013

I just finished my very first lace shawl design and I am feeling over the moon.

Not just because I designed it. But because it is finally. off. my. needles. And because I didn't kill anyone in the process of creating this lacy beast.

This shawl was ripped out and re-knit so many times that I lost count. Or at least I have repressed the memory. Being the lazy and over confident knitter that I sometimes can be, I could not be bothered with putting in lifelines. Instead I fearlessly shoved hundreds of lacy stitches off of the needles, ripped back and tediously had to feed all of those tiny yarn overs and decreases back onto my circular needle... over and over and over again.

Several times I wanted to give up. Several times I wanted to disown this project.

But in the end, I kept with it. I conquered the beast. The battle has been fought and won.

8.09.2013

[vur-jer]

noun

1.

greenness,especiallyoffresh,flourishingvegetation.

2.

greenvegetation,especiallygrassorherbage.

3.

freshnessingeneral;flourishingcondition;vigor.

I felt that the word "verdure" was a great title for this new little botanically inspired pattern.

These mitts feature a fun twisted stitch, sprouting plant motif on the back of the hand.

It is so fun to watch it grow as you knit!

The pattern calls for only one skein of Madelinetosh Tosh DK. I used the Grove colorway which is such a perfect shade of green.

photography by Vivian Aubrey

I have designed these mitts to be included in my upcoming pattern book, Botanical Knits 2. But I am happy to announce that this pattern is available individually for a limited time as part ofTwisted yarn shop's Mad About Tosh Club 2013.

8.05.2013

There are just so many patterns from so many amazingly talented knitwear designers out there. I am so grateful when one of my designs is chosen from the vast sea of available options.

But nothing is quite so special as when one of my designs is chosen to be knit and worn for one of the most important days in one's life.

A wedding.

I was beyond flattered when Allison Scoon (sticknspokes on Ravelry) contacted me last year to tell me that she would be knitting my Wildflower Cardigan for her upcoming wedding on the Isle of Mull on Scotland's west coast.

What a romantic location.

When she sent me these pictures, I was blown away.

The cardigan turned out so great and she looks so beautiful in it!

As an avid knitter, it was very important to Allison to have handknits prominently featured in her wedding.